Hive South Yorkshire

Mixing Roots Anthology – Call for submissions

Showcasing the voices of emerging young women writers of colour

We are delighted to announce we will be open for submissions of poetry and flash/short fiction – between 5th May and 5th July 2022 – from new, aspiring and emerging young women writers of colour, aged 15 to 30, for our first full-length Mixing Roots anthology. Submissions will be read and selected by Sheffield Poet Laureate, Warda Yassin.

To submit
We welcome submissions from new, aspiring, emerging or established young woman writers of colour, aged 15 to 30, and living, based, or with a term address in the North of England and the Midlands (as defined in this map)

Send up to 3 pieces of poetry and/or flash/short fiction to mixingroots@hivesouthyorkshire.com anytime between 5th May and 5th July 2022. Poems can be up to 40 lines each, and short fiction pieces up to 500 words each. Work can be previously published but please state where. You can send separate submissions but be sure to include at the bottom of each submission document: full name | age | date of birth | address | email | mobile | details of where published if relevant (Word or .rtf documents only)

There are no themes or styles favoured, we’re just looking for great, original writing, and authentic voices. We understand that for some, this might be your first time submitting to a print anthology. Don’t worry, have a go! Just take your time getting your work the best it can be. You’ll find a range of writing prompts, tips and resources over on our recent competition page. For inspiring examples of great writing, there are tons of resources and websites online such as some great flash fiction websites here, and an extensive archive of great poems at andotherpoems.com

Have fun and I look forward to hearing from you!
Warda 🙂

(Also, if you’re interested in online poetry workshops as a young woman of colour based in the north of England, please also drop us a line to: mixingroots@hivesouthyorkshire.com with your name, age, date of birth and location so we can let you know when we have opportunities to share).

About Mixing Roots
The Mixing Roots project was set up in 2019 by poet Warda Yassin with the support of Hive. It exists to encourage and support the creative development of young women writers of colour  – new, aspiring and emerging. Over the last few years, four Mixing Roots programmes have been delivered and several pamphlet publications produced. This 2022 Mixing Roots anthology will be the first book-length anthology from the project celebrating a wide range of voices of colour from across the north.

Warda Yassin is a British Somali poet and English teacher. She was awarded the Women Poets’ Prize 2020/21 and became Sheffield Poet Laureate in the same year. Warda writes about her experiences as a British Somali and about her heritage and community and in 2018 was a winner of the New Poets Prize. Her debut pamphlet Tea with Cardamom came out with The Poetry Business in 2019. Warda has been a part of the South Yorkshire writers network (now Hive) for many years and recognises from her own experience, how writing networks can support young writers to reach their potential.

Mixing Roots Poetry Programme

for young women of colour age 15-25 in the north of England
[Application deadline midnight Friday 17^th Feb 2022]

If you’re an aspiring or emerging young poet keen to take your craft further, Mixing Roots is back and running an online poetry programme starting on Sundays from 27th February, offering a supportive set of workshops and individual feedback to inspire and guide you in developing as a poet.

Join award-winning poet Warda Yassin, who’ll build your writing confidence through fun and accessible writing exercises and editing advice, and receive peer and one-to-one feedback on work, and tips and insights into publishing routes and opportunities. There’ll also be guest workshops from the brilliant Danae Wellington and Sile Sibanda.

Who’s it for?
The programme is for young women of colour aged 17 to 25 in the North of England with an interest in developing their poetry. You don’t have to feel like you’re an amazing writer to apply, you just need a curiosity for poetry and a willingness to have a go. Both beginner and emerging poets are welcome to apply.

You might feel like you lack a way in, direction, sticking power, or confidence. You might have a project you want inspiration to get stuck into, or to hone your skills or work. Or you might simply want a regular reason to write and connect with others on a similar creative journey. All levels and interests welcome.

As the programme is on Zoom, it’s open to writers from across the north. We’re keen to hear from more young women of African heritage, but all women of colour/migrant communities are welcome to apply. We’re also keen to hear from people who feel like they wouldn’t normally be able to access this kind of opportunity.

Expect a warm and supportive group with a wonderful poet and guests. The programme will run on Sundays from 27^th February, 3 to 5pm on Zoom [6 sessions with Warda Yassin and two optional sessions with Danae Wellington and Sile Sibanda]

Cost
The programme is subsidised through Hive meaning places are totally free. Why? Programmes like this normally cost upwards of £250 but Mixing Roots is subsidised as a way to reach new and emerging young writers and remove barriers to developing as a writer. We are looking for young writers who are keen to commit to the programme and gain as much as possible from taking part.

To Apply
Send (in one Word or .rtf document) up to 4 poems (no pressure if you don’t have much to send), followed by up to 350 words about yourself, including: your interests, where you feel you are with your writing and any input you’ve had with it, why you’re applying for this programme, and how you think it could be of help.

Sent with the following at the bottom: Your age, date of birth, your heritage/ethnic origin as you wish to describe, email, telephone number, address (term or home), and anything else you might want to tell us by midnight 17^th February to wardayassin@hivesouthyorkshire.com [Note places will be limited to ensure a supportive programme[

About Mixing Roots
The Mixing Roots project was set up in 2019 by poet Warda Yassin with the support of Hive. It exists to encourage and support the creative development of young and emerging writers of colour through writing. Over the last few years, several Mixing Roots programmes have been delivered through Hive and several publications launched as a result. In 2022 there will be a Mixing Roots anthology book celebrating a wide range of voices of colour from across the north.

Warda Yassin is a British Somali poet and English teacher. She was awarded the Women Poets’ Prize 2020/21 and became Sheffield Poet Laureate in the same year. Warda writes about her experiences as a British Somali and about her heritage and community and in 2018 was a winner of the New Poets Prize. Her debut pamphlet Tea with Cardamom came out with The Poetry Business in 2019. Warda has been a part of the South Yorkshire writers network (now Hive) for 8 years and recognises from her own experience, how it can support young people to reach their potential.

Danae Wellington is a Jamaican British writer, poet and advocate for healing through the creative arts, specifically through the fusion of poetry, storytelling, music and theatre. She’s been published in several anthologies and has performed widely at places like the Ted Hughes Poetry Festival and Sheaf Poetry Festival. She recently set up Nyara School of Arts, a project aimed at creatively supporting young people from African Diaspora backgrounds.

Sile Sibanda is a British Zimbabwean poet, spoken word performer, and BBC radio presenter. As well as being an active part of the Hive community, she has hosted open mics and events for Hive over the last few years and is loved by everyone for her warmth and encouragement of young voices. Sile hails from Rotherham and in 2019 she won the BBC Radio Sheffield ‘This is Me’ presenting competition and subsequently became the host of The Vibe on BBC Radio Sheffield.